Eroticism on television is a tricky business. The streaming service RTL+ and RTLzwei — the private broadcaster known for reality TV and documentary soaps from Grünwald near Munich — are trying something new in this field by focusing on sexuality instead of meeting through conversation. Yet they aren’t showing too much that would be off-limits on TV due to youth-protection concerns.
It’s probably one of the boldest TV experiments of the year: the RTLzwei series “Maison Tabou” (TV premiere: late on September 30; all episodes seven days early on RTL+; episode one online since September 23).
“Maison Tabou” is produced in collaboration with the production company Ufa Show & Factual and an erotic brand that offers merchandise and sex toys.
Will sexual tension turn into genuine desire?
At the heart of the format is the question that many viewers in real life after a one-night stand might ask themselves: can something beyond a strictly sexual experience, a shared night, emerge from it?
Or as the creators put it: “Can two people form a real connection when expectations and traditional dating conventions fall into the background?”
Here’s how it unfolds
It begins with anonymous check-in: Participants enter a hotel-like setting and shed their names and everyday identities. They give themselves a fantasy name and receive a room. Then the action starts: after the participants share a bit about themselves and get ready — with costumes or fetish wear — the next steps revolve around bringing someone else into the mix and seeking physical closeness. In the end comes the reveal: only at breakfast the following morning do the masks come off (sometimes literally) and the true identities are revealed. Afterward the couples decide whether they want to continue interacting with each other.
A narrator’s off-screen voice, “Madame,” oversees the events. The participants and viewers do not get to see the mysterious hostess’ face.
Sex-positivity trend comes to mainstream
In episode one, for example, the muscular Ray (30) describes himself as pansexual, feeling neither strictly heterosexual nor gay: “I’m into people.” The Brazilian may be familiar to some viewers: he has already appeared in the fourth season of the RTL+ reality show “Make Love Fake Love” as well as the Vox dating show “First Dates.”
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Contestant Aurora (36) says she enjoys the sensual, “not this pointless rump-popping”: “I need security.” She allows herself to be whipped with a blindfold by Noel (28), who, as he states, is drawn to a certain maturity (“With a twenty-something chick, I wouldn’t be into it”).
“Maison Tabou” is picking up the often marginal sex-positivity trend in mainstream television. The show is about overcoming shame, establishing consent, and respecting diverse sexual orientations. Sex is presented as something natural and beautiful, to be expressed without guilt or taboos.
All sexual acts are based on consent that can be withdrawn at any time by all participants. Many identities, preferences (kinks/fetishes), and relationship forms are treated with equal respect.
How sexy all of this is will likely be viewed differently by every viewer. And whether the participants make you crave more is also subjective.
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RTLzwei remains mysterious about how long the format will run: “We’re not yet announcing the exact number of episodes,” a network spokesperson says. “The matches on ‘Maison Tabou’ initially occur between man and woman. As the dynamics among the participants unfold, however, different configurations and encounters can emerge that go beyond the classic pairing.”
